Saturday Night Live said goodbye to 2025 on Saturday with its last show of the year—and paid loving tribute to a comedy giant and one of its earliest hosts. In the episode’s final moments, just before host Ariana Grande led the evening’s good nights, the show shared a quiet photo tribute to Rob Reiner, who hosted the show’s third episode on Oct. 25, 1975. At the time, Reiner was best known as the son of comedian and writer Carl Reiner, and for his Emmy-winning role as Michael “Meathead” Stivic on Norman Lear’s All in the Family. Reiner’s SNL hosting gig marked a first for the brand-new show: he was the first host to appear in the episode’s sketches. In one memorable bit, he was joined by his then-wife, Penny Marshall, for a “dramatic” sketch with the Killer Bees, one of SNL’s first recurring characters. Reiner broke character to complain about the working conditions in a mock protest that some viewers at the time believed was genuine. Reiner left All in the Family in 1978 and re-emerged as a writer-director with 1984’s classic “mockumentary” This Is Spinal Tap. Though he was known for his comedic sensibility, Reiner did not limit himself to one genre. He went on to direct Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally…, Misery, A Few Good Men, and The American President. His final film, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, premiered in September. The bodies of Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, his wife of nearly 40 years, were found in the couple’s Brentwood home on Dec. 14, 2025. The couple’s 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner, has been charged with their murders.
